India Rejects Peter Navarro’s ‘Brahmins Profiting’ Remark, Reaffirms Strong Ties with US

New Delhi: India on Friday firmly dismissed comments made by US trade adviser Peter Navarro, who alleged in a television interview that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of ordinary Indians” by importing Russian crude oil.

Responding to questions at a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. (Peter) Navarro, and obviously, we reject them.”

Jaiswal refrained from reacting to former US President Donald Trump’s recent post on Truth Social in which he claimed the United States had “lost” India and Russia to China. “I have no comments to offer on that,” he said.

Instead, the MEA spokesperson stressed the enduring significance of India-US relations. “This relationship is very important to us. Both nations share a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership anchored in our shared interests, democratic values, and strong people-to-people ties. The partnership has weathered several challenges, and we hope both countries move forward on the basis of our shared values and mutual respect.”

Citing recent diplomatic engagements, Jaiswal pointed to the India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue and a visit by a US defence policy group, underscoring that communication between the two sides remains robust. He did not confirm, however, whether Trump would attend the upcoming Quad summit later this year or whether bilateral meetings were planned on the sidelines of the UNGA, which opens in New York on September 9.

On other multilateral fronts, Jaiswal announced that India would participate in a virtual BRICS leadership-level meeting on September 8, convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting, which is expected to focus on devising a collective strategy to address US tariffs.

Jaiswal also fielded questions on India-Pakistan water data-sharing, clarifying that despite the Indus Water Treaty being placed in abeyance, technical-level exchanges continue through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Pakistan is currently battling severe floods, with nearly four million people affected in its Punjab province.